Communication

Fitted Together

by Honey Stone
09/07/18
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Why do most preachers teach falsely about TITHING?
For one thing, it is a complex topic in the Old Testament.

For another thing, it benefits churches to not teach it correctly, after all, if you can get everyone to put 10% of their income into your ministry then you can have a safety net of money regularly coming in.  

The third reason is because those with teaching gift are really the only gift in the Body of Christ that would want to research it and would have the ability to do it well. So, most preachers just take someone else’s material and teach that.

That’s why the majority teach it wrong and there will be consequences both for those who teach it and for those who don’t check their leader’s teaching because the Bible clearly states that Paul applauded the Bereans for seeing if his teaching accurate.

There are two typical responses toward the JEZEBEL issue in the church.
Leaders either kick the person out of the church or they tolerate the person and it causes serious issues within that church.

The issues typically are witchcraft entering the church through prayer or in teaching. There will be selfish and manipulative prayers and there will be doctrine taught that is of demons.

But what if, as Jennifer Eivaz teaches, the church as a body learned how to work toward healing those with the Jezebel issue. After all, Jennifer has many testimonies of those who have overcome that issue.

It is possible but my guess is that many churches are not healed enough to function at that high of a level of healing and wholeness. This requires a level of true unity and it requires love.

But quite frankly most people are not good at both confrontation and love. They usually are better at one or the other. So, that means everyone will be out of their comfort zone. There will be lots of failure in the process and who likes failure. American culture is all about success and that process is messy. 

Why are there so few healthy churches?
Because a healthy church would require that ALL parts of the body learn to work together. That tends to be TOO challenging for most groups. I have found that there tends to be a dominating gift type of leadership that overides most churches.

I have watched the battle as pastors and teachers snuffed out the voice of the prophets.

I have seen administration squeeze out all spontaneity.

I have also seen the prophets push out the teachers by requiring freedom.

I've even seen the prophets dismiss the seers because they thought everything was to be in a prophecy model. Nope, discerning of spirits has a different set of criteria and function.

I have heard the "decently and in order" debate and apparently God only does things one thing at a time in a service - never multiple - except in those churches that flow in a group anointing.

If you go to any church, you likely will find that one of the five equipping gifts will clearly dominate the other gifts.
You rarely see a healthy balance. It is too uncomfortable to work through those issues. What issue? The issue that we actually don't always agree.

Can we walk together in conflict or must we flee or attack?

If the pastoral gift is the emphasis then 'community life' will be the emphasis and it could turn into a country club.

If the prophetic gift is the emphasis then 'holiness' will be the criteria and fear may overshadow the group.

If the evangelist gift dominates then loving the lost and 'accepting everyone' will be what is most important, and discernment may be labeled as judgement and thus thrown out the door. Might as well put a sign that says: Welcome witches!

If the teaching gift trumps everything then 'right doctrine' will be the answer and it may feel academic like going to college instead of church.

What about the apostle?

Yes, it is a challenge for all for all of the gifts to work together. But in the body, the thumb is not connected to the elbow. It has the transition of the hand and the forearm. We need to be rightly fitted together.

Who is the one who can put these all together?
Yes, the answer is God (Yahweh) but He probably would like to do it through a mature type of ‘building’ apostle. This would be an apostle who is geared toward making the church 'fit together.'

Ah, but have you seen such a thing?

We are not very far along in the body of Christ for that. The apostles are emerging but there are few who have found their true function. I suspect that the apostles will start to function better as some of the old religious systems get rooted up and the life-giving true gospel is preached.

Is the gospel JUST about being saved
I suggest that it is about belonging in a community where ALL the gifts function in full capacity? That’s the good news. Who wants to be saved from hell but be amongst a group of people who compete and defeat and retreat from each other? It takes maturity to work through issues in the church.

Honor is not just for the leaders but for all. They call that a 'culture of honor' but some say only the leaders should have it. Didn't Jesus wash the diciple's feet.

I believe the voices of the apostles will emerge and they will be the ones putting the puzzle pieces of the Body of Christ through the power and counsel of the Holy Spirit. It will not be like the heavy-shepherding of the past (AMEN). That is the immature 'baby brat' apostle model.

Instead, there will be a mature servant leadership style. Hirelings will not lead the TRUE church. It will be those who truly have a heart after God. They will not pressure others to be exactly like them but find out where people belong instead.

...may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:15b-16

Can we do this church? Or do we always have to play the game of "who is the coolest gift of them all?"